The Campus Life Office announced that all students staying on campus during the summer break will have to pay $308 per month for a double room and $321 per month for a single room.

“Pre-Covid, everyone was charged for summer housing and we are returning to that model,”  Assistant Dean for Campus Life Jake McLean said.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, summer housing has been free for international students and students who did not have a safe home to return to.

“Everyone will be expected to pay, but my door is open for students to come through with questions or concerns,” McLean said.

International students, such as first-year Dibyasha Sharma, are apprehensive about housing options in the summer. Sharma isn’t sure if she will be able to afford the $308 per month fee or travel back home.

“It is unreasonable to expect an international student to be gone during the summer break because plane tickets are so expensive at that time,” Sharma said.

Junior Morgana Simpson, who needs to stay on campus for a research project, has also expressed frustration about the decision as she views it as the college’s lack of understanding of students’ needs.

“Freedom of movement is a privilege. People without safe homes do not have financial support from home either,” Simpson said.
Simpson also said that the policy will increase financial insecurity amongst students, who may already lack the connections or resources to leave campus. Especially considering already increasing rates of tuition.

Simpson expressed that if Knox wants to uphold its reputation for being affordable, accepting and diverse, it must not charge those who may not have another place to stay for housing and be more empathetic of the challenges students undergo, even in the post pandemic era.

McLean also said that meals from the Hard Knox Cafe will cost $9 for breakfast, and $10 for lunch. This leaves students to evaluate meal options and the difficulty of coping with paid housing.

“The summers here suck…The caf is more expensive than eating out but groceries are equally hard to get unless you have lots of money for HyVee delivery or a car,” senior Libby Shorkey said.